The university wants staff to give up a pay rise – the union says no to the whole proposal

Vice Chancellor Adam Shoemaker expects the university to be down $38m over 18 months and needs salary savings to claw back $5.8m.

He is asking staff to accept variations to the enterprise agreement, including; giving up this year’s 1.4 per cent pay rise and deferring the 2021 rise to 2022, when it will be 1.8 per cent (now 1.4 per cent), (plus $500 increase in base).

In return the VC puts, “on record my commitment to explore voluntary redundancies before any targeted job cuts.”

Professor Shoemaker says the EA variations will go to a staff vote next week and were, “negotiated in good faith and openly over the last month in meetings with both unions representing staff colleagues at Southern Cross.” (That’s the NTEU and CPSU).

But negotiating is not agreeing, at least not by the National Tertiary Education Union. “Management at SCU think negotiation means telling staff what they are willing to give us. Both unions came to the table with alternative suggestions, however management simply said no to all,” NTEU branch president Kate Mitchell says. The union is expected to recommend staff vote no.